perks for your palate.

Droga and Elsylee

Droga and Elsylee

HOW IT WORKS

Even if you write off Valentine's Day as sentimental hype, do you dare run the risk of sleeping on the couch because you ignored it? Here are two ways to say "I love you" that show you really mean it: cookies and candy. Elsylee Galetes Artesanals are no ordinary cookies, but bite-size and baked in small batches using all-natural, organic ingredients, they arrive elegantly packaged. Each cookie is named after a city. New Delhi are Valencia-orange-scented ones delicately spiced with curry, cinnamon, almonds and toasted coconut. Shropshire gingersnaps are spicy without being harsh, and the Los Angeles is a moist and fudgy triple chocolate espresso cookie that will surely awaken feelings of love. (Get your passcode first and then redeem here: elsylee.com)

When it comes to candy, Michelle Crochet, of Droga Confections, takes her mother’s custom rocky road recipe (she uses peanuts instead of walnuts) and makes it even sexier. Tuck in to these two-bite wonders and the chocolate (milk or dark, your call) yields to your teeth, the kiss of salt from freshly roasted peanuts awakens your taste buds, and the whole thing gives way to a center of impossibly fluffy handmade marshmallow. Another option for your honey are the "Put Your Money on Honey" salted caramels made with honey, not corn syrup, and dipped in bittersweet chocolate. So addictive are these treats, the company name is Droga (“drug” in Italian). Certainly, Crochet is our Valentine’s Day heroin. Er, heroine. (Get your passcode first and then redeem here: drogaconfections.com)

You Can Be Such a Card

Out-of-the-ordinary sweets show your good taste. Pair them with a hipster card that's a little more fun than what you'd find at the corner store.